Isekai anime series
Ever since the advent of the pandemic, the notion of travelling around the world uninhibited has felt like a far-fetched dream. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t mentally explore other worlds. This list of 20 isekai anime series will transport you to worlds you’ve never imagined – without even having to step out of your house.
1. Re:ZERO – Starting Life In Another World (2016 – 2021)
Image credit: IMDb
Re:ZERO follows Natsuki Subaru, who leads a hikikomori life until he is transported into another world while on his way home from a convenience store. Upon his arrival in the new world, he is ambushed by a group of thugs in an alley.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
He is saved by a pale and beautiful girl who calls herself Satella. Wanting to repay the girl for saving him, Subaru offers to help Satella look for an insignia that she had lost. However, they’re then attacked and murdered by an unknown assailant.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
Instead of his life ending then and there, Subaru awakes and finds himself alive and well, standing in the same alley. He looks around the area, only to see the same thugs and Satella again – as if time had rewound itself.
Genre: Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller
Length: 2 seasons
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
2. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom (2020 – 2021)
Image credit: IMDb
In My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom, a girl finds herself being transmigrated into the body of Katarina Claes, a villainess in an otome game called Fortune Lover.
Image adapted from: Asmik Ace
Having played the game, the protagonist knows that the villainess is bound to face doom no matter which route she takes. Katarina Claes tries her hardest to live her life while striving to break free from her unfortunate destiny by not triggering any “death flags”.
Image adapted from: Asmik Ace
However, in order to go against fate as a villainess, she sometimes has to act out of character and make decisions that will affect the relationship of the people around her, in hopes that it will allow her to reach a good ending in her life.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Harem, Shoujo, Romance
Length: 2 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
3. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! (2016 – 2017)
Image credit: IMDb
After being laughed at by a goddess named Aqua because of his embarrassing and funny, Kazuma Satou is given two options: to ascend to heaven or be reincarnated in a fantasy world with one thing of his choice.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
Being a gaming NEET in his previous life, Kazuma chooses to be reincarnated into a fantasy game world together with the goddess that mocked him, thinking that she would surely be of use.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
Unfortunately for Kazuma, Aqua turns out to be a liability. Now, both of them will have to find a way to not just survive alongside their allies, but also to defeat the demon king that threatens the peace while dealing with each other’s shenanigans.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Parody
Length: 2 seasons and 1 movie, season 3 confirmed
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
4. Overlord (2015 – 2018)
Image credit: IMDb
Overlord tells the story of a young man who is trapped in a virtual reality game called Yggdrasil, unable to log out after the game’s supposed server shutdown.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
Trapped in a skeletal avatar who goes by the name of Momonga, the young man explores his vicinity and speaks to various NPCs in his guild, only to realise that they have seemingly become sentient.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
Fortunately, taking on Momonga’s identity also means having access to his abilities and title as one of the strongest guild masters in the game. Together with his new sentient NPC allies by his side, Momonga now strives to conquer the world of Yggdrasil, hoping to find out if there are others out there who can help him solve the mystery of his predicament.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Length: 3 seasons
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
5. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious (2019)
Image credit: IMDb
Cautious Hero follows Seiya Ryuuguuin, a human hero who was summoned by a goddess named Rista to save the world of Gaeabrande from a demon king. Even though he possesses incredible abilities, Seiya takes the phrase “you can’t be too careful” to the extreme.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
Seiya spends most of his time training excessively or overly preparing even against meagre threats such as slime monsters, much to the chagrin of Rista who often questions his actions.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
However, as the world of Gaeabrande is considered to be one of the most dangerous places even by the standards of the goddesses, perhaps having an overly cautious hero is what that world needs.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Length: 12 episodes
Available on: Amazon Prime, Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
6. The Rising Of The Shield Hero (2019)
Image credit: IMDb
The Rising Of The Shield Hero takes place in a fantasy world that tells tales of four heroes who wield a sword, a spear, a bow, and a shield respectively. These heroes protect the people from otherworldly creatures that come from a phenomenon called Waves. Naofumi Iwatani, a young man living a carefree life in modern Japan, was summoned to serve as the Shield Hero.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
He’s summoned to the Kingdom of Melromarc, where the people hold the Shield Hero in contempt as they believe he wouldn’t be able to fight since a shield is only meant to only defend and not attack.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
Naofumi’s luck takes a turn for the worst when he is betrayed and framed for sexual assault by his only comrade. Fueled by anger and the will to become stronger, he buys a half-human, half-tanuki slave to help him level up and fight.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
Even though both of them get off to a rough start, they slowly start to open up to each other as they journey through thick and thin. With this newfound bond, and alongside new trustworthy allies they meet along their journey, the two venture forth to uncover the mystery of these Waves.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Length: 25 episodes, season 2 confirmed
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
7. No Game, No Life (2014)
Image credit: IMDb
No Game, No Life follows two NEET step-siblings, Sora (空) and Shiro (白), who are also known as the legendary duo group “blank” (空白). The group’s name is derived by combining the siblings’ names.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
One day, the duo receives a mysterious email challenging them to a game of chess. Being gamers at heart, they accept the challenge and promptly defeat their mysterious opponent. As it turns out, their opponent is someone called Tet, the God of Games in another world. Tet then invites them to live in Disboard, a world where conflicts are resolved through games.
Image adapted from: mediafactory
Thinking of it as nothing more than a prank of sorts, both of them agree to it, only to find themselves plunged into the world of Disboard. As they start their new lives in a fantasy world of gaming, the legendary duo seek to challenge the God of Games once more and take over the title.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy
Length: 12 episodes and 1 movie
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
8. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (2018 – 2021)
Image credit: IMDb
After being stabbed and killed by an armed assailant in his previous life as a 37-year old salaryman in Japan, Mikami Satoru finds himself being reincarnated into the body of a slime creature in a fantasy world of magic and monsters.
Image adapted from: BANDAI NAMCO Arts Channel
While testing out his newfound abilities as a slime monster, Satoru stumbles upon a Storm Dragon called Veldora, who was sealed away for causing destruction to the world. Satoru feels bad for the dragon and offers to free him. In exchange, Veldora bestows the name “Rimuru Tempest” on Satoru.
Image adapted from: BANDAI NAMCO Arts Channel
Now named Rimuru, our slime protagonist ventures forward into the world and makes friends, enemies, and even inadvertently alter the paradigm of the world.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Length: 2 seasons and 5 OVAs
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
9. Saga Of Tanya The Evil (2017)
Image credit: IMDb
Saga Of Tanya The Evil follows Tanya Degurechaff, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who is the reincarnation of an unsympathetic and faithless Japanese salaryman murdered by an unhappy subordinate.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
The Japanese salaryman was reincarnated as a young girl in the midst of an ongoing magic war as a punishment by God for his lack of faith in God in his previous life.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
However, despite this punishment, Tanya continues to refuse to give in to God’s pressure and strives to climb the military ladder by any means necessary, hoping to reach a rank high enough so she no longer needs to enter the battlefield and risk her life.
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Military
Length: 1 season and 1 movie, season 2 confirmed
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
10. Isekai Quartet (2019 – 2020)
Image credit: IMDb
Isekai Quartet is a parody of other popular isekai anime series such as Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World, Overload, Saga of Tanya the Evil, and KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World. In a way, it’s like an isekai within another isekai.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
The story begins with a mysterious red button appearing in the various protagonist’s worlds. It transports them to a seemingly normal modern Japanese school when pressed.
After arriving in the new world, the isekai protagonists learn that their only hope of returning to their original worlds is to live and behave like proper students in the school.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
It is unclear as to whether or not they will be able to escape this predicament, but one thing’s for sure – with these many eccentric personalities in the same place, interesting things are bound to happen.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Parody
Length: 2 seasons
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
11. GATE: Thus The JSDF Fought There! (2015 – 2016)
Image credit: IMDb
GATE follows the adventures of Youji Itami, an otaku and an officer in the Japan Self-Defense Force (JDSF). Youji was on his way to an anime convention when an otherworldly portal appeared in the middle of Ginza, Tokyo.
Image adapted from: Warner Brothers Japan Anime
Medieval creatures and warriors started flowing out of the portal, attacking everything and everyone in sight. Being an officer in the JDSF, Youji tried to save as many lives as he could while holding out for the JDSF’s arrival.
Image adapted from: Warner Brothers Japan Anime
Thanks to the military’s modern-day technology and weaponry, the creatures and warriors stood no chance against the JDSF and were instantly wiped out.
Image adapted from: Warner Brothers Japan Anime
In the months after the invasion, Youji is tasked with leading a team into the portal in order to find out the reason for the portal’s appearance, as well as what lurks on the other side of it.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Military
Length: 2 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
12. Sword Art Online (2012 – 2020)
Image credit: IMDb
Sword Art Online takes place in the year 2022, where the advent of “NerveGear” technology allows users to completely immerse their minds in a virtual reality MMORPG called “Sword Art Online”. The story follows Kirigaya Kazuto, one of the first 10,000 players who were invited to experience the game, and his journey through the virtual world.
Image adapted from: Madman Anime
Kirigaya Kazuto, who goes by the name “Kirito” in the game, finds himself in a hyper-realistic fantasy world when he logs into the game for the first time. Everything goes well until players started realising that they are unable to log out of the game. As it turns out, the game’s creator has trapped the player base in the virtual world for his own nefarious purposes.
Image adapted from: Madman Anime
To make matters worse, if a player were to forcefully log out or die within the virtual world, they would also die in real life. The only safe way out of this predicament is for the players to clear all 100 levels of the game.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Length: 3 seasons and 1 movie
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, Hulu
13. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (2021)
Image credit: IMDb
Mushoku Tensei follows a 34-year-old Japanese NEET who died in a road accident after he tries to save a pedestrian from a speeding truck. In the last few moments before his death, he ponders about how meaningless his life was, only to reawaken in the body of a baby boy called Rudeus Greyrat.
Image adapted from: TOHO animation チャンネル
Despite now being a baby, Rudeus retains memories of his past life, as well as his regrets of not living life to the fullest.
Image adapted from: TOHO animation チャンネル
Rudeus now tries his hardest to become successful by practising magic from a very young age while overcoming his traumatic past.Hopefully this time, he will also be able to find love.
Genre: Adventure, Ecchi, Fantasy
Length: 11 episodes
Available on: Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
14. The Devil Is A Part-Timer (2013)
Image credit: IMDb
Unlike regular isekai animes, the protagonist of The Devil Is A Part-Timer finds himself transported not to a fantasy world, but our real world.
Satan and his allies strove to conquer the land of Ente Isla, only to be repelled and forced to escape through a dimensional portal by the hero Emilia.
Image adapted from: ぽにきゃん-Anime PONY CANYON
Upon exiting the portal, Satan and his allies find themselves in modern-day Tokyo, where magic doesn’t exist. The merry group now has to find ways to make a living and survive just like an ordinary human being – at least until they find a way back to their world and continue their conquest.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Length: 13 episodes, season 2 confirmed
Available on: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
15. Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They? (2013)
Image credit: IMDb
Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They?, better known as Mondaiji, tells the story of three problematic children who possess near-omnipotent psychic powers.
You’d think that having these powers would make life interesting, but these children are bored of their dull lives. Upon receiving an invitation to another world from a girl called the “Black Rabbit”, the three kids accept it without hesitation.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
In this new world, conflicts and disputes between communities are handled through high-stakes games where participants can freely use their extraordinary abilities against each other.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
After hearing that the Black Rabbit’s community had lost her official status and resources to the demon lords through these games, the three children decide to help the Black Rabbit reclaim her homeland using their unmatched abilities.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Length: 10 episodes and 1 OVA
Available on: Crunchyroll
16. So I’m A Spider, So What? (2021)
Image credit: IMDb
A mysterious event wipes out everyone in a Japanese high school class. The students then find themselves reincarnated into a fantasy game-like world. Some of them are fortunate enough to be reborn as nobles, princes, and princesses. However, Wakaba Hiiro wasn’t that fortunate – she is reborn as a spider.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime
To make matters worse, Wakaba has to struggle to survive the moment she is reincarnated as other creatures see her as fair game. Using the knowledge from her past life, Wakaba finds ways to survive and become stronger by defeating other monsters. As she lives her new life as a spider, Wakaba ventures forth to find out what had happened to her and her classmates.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 24 episodes
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
17. The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? (2020)
Image credit: IMDb
Tired from working, Shingo Ichinomiya – a 25-year old Japanese salaryman – takes what was supposed to be a short afternoon nap, only to find himself in the body of a child in another world when he wakes up.
Image adapted from: FRONTIERWORKS
Shingo is reincarnated as a young boy named Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, who is the eighth and youngest son in a poor noble family. Unfortunately, as this new fantasy world is highly aristocratic, being the youngest son means that he wouldn’t be able to inherit anything from his family.
Image adapted from: FRONTIERWORKS
But not all’s doom and gloom, as Wendelin discovers that he is exceptionally gifted at using magic – a skill that is highly valued in his new world. With this newfound ability, Wendelin strives to climb the social ladder and create a better life for himself while dealing with the many envious politicians who want to bring him down.
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Harem
Length: 12 episodes
Available on: Crunchyroll
18. Log Horizon (2013-2021)
Image credit: IMDb
After the twelfth update of a popular MMORPG Elder Tales went live, 30,000 Japanese players who logged on suddenly find themselves trapped within the game, with no way of leaving.
Image adapted from: Madman Anime
The story of Log Horizon follows a socially awkward college student named Shiroe, who was one of the 30,000 unfortunate players. Being a veteran of the game, Shiroe fearlessly and promptly sets out to explore this new reality, subsequently creating a guild called Log Horizon with his merry group of adventurers.
Together, they journey onwards to find out the truth behind what had happened to them.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Length: 3 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
19. I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level (2021)
Image credit: IMDb
After dying from overworking at the age of 27, Azusa Aizawa is reincarnated as an immortal witch in another world. Considering how she died in her past life, Azusa now vows to live life peacefully, free from any stressful activity.
Image adapted from: スライム倒して300年、知らないうちにレベルMAXになってました
By defeating weak slimes to make a living, Azusa is able to lead a quiet and peaceful life. However, being an immortal and having defeated slimes for 300 years, Azusa realises that she has become a little too powerful for her own good. Now, she has to try her best to hide her strength from people around her, lest she is asked to take on more stressful tasks once again.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Slice of Life
Length: 12 episodes
Available on: Crunchyroll
20. How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom (2021)
Image credit: IMDb
How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom tells a story where fantasy meets modern-day bureaucracy.
Kazuya Souma is summoned to another world to be a hero who would fight against the demon army. However, being a former humanities student and having extensive knowledge of theories of realism, Kazuya’s method to deal with the threat is less heroic and more practical – by reforming the administration of the kingdom instead of direct confrontation.
Image adapted from:「KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE」公式チャンネル
After being haphazardly appointed as the new king, Kazuya’s bureaucratic abilities are put to the test as he implements policies – with the help of his capable allies – to bring the Kingdom back on its feet.
Genre: Action, Military, Harem, Romance, Fantasy
Length: 13 episodes
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu
Isekai anime series that will transport you to another world
Even though it may be difficult to physically travel due to the current state of affairs, at least you can still mentally explore other worlds by watching these isekai anime series.
For more related articles, check out:
- 20 best Japanese dramas from the last 20 years to catch up on while stuck at home
- 20 Japanese anime movies to watch when you’re social distancing
- 10 sports anime to watch other than Haikyuu!! to get your heart racing
- 20 iconic Japanese anime series to watch when you’re bored at home
- 11 romance manga to read so you can fill the void in your non-existent love life
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